GRAVENHURST TOWN COUNCIL COULD START US DOWN A NEW AND PRODUCTIVE ROAD

GRAVENHURST TOWN COUNCIL IS WHAT IT IS! CITIZENS MAKE IT A HOME TOWN!

HOW TO CHALLENGE COUNCIL, WHEN A TWEAKING IS IN ORDER - OR, WE FEEL A TAD REBELLIOUS!

     BEFORE PUBLISHING TODAY'S BLOG, I HEARD A NEWS REPORT FROM A TORONTO RADIO STATION, THAT STATED MAYOR-ELECT, JOHN TORY, HAS ASKED RESPECTFULLY, FOR ASSISTANCE FROM MAYORAL CANDIDATES, DOUG FORD AND OLIVIA CHOW, TO PLAN FUTURE STRATEGIES TO ASSIST THE CITY. GOSH, I LIKE THAT! IN A WAY, IT'S THE THEME OF TODAY'S BLOG ANYWAY. I HAD ALREADY WRITTEN NINETY-EIGHT PERCENT OF THE COPY, BUT THIS OLIVE-BRANCH DIPLOMACY, IS SO PROGRESSIVE AND INTUITIVE, BECAUSE OPPOSITION POINTS OF VIEW HAVE THEIR MERITS. IT'S EXACTLY WHAT IS NEEDED IN THIS COMMUNITY. A NEW COUNCIL BEING RECEPTIVE TO IDEAS THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY THEIR OWN. AS JOHN TORY WANTS TO UNITE A CITY DIVIDED BY POLITICS, OUR COUNCIL SHOULD BE AWARE JUST HOW DIVIDED OUR SMALL TOWN IS, ALSO ALONG POLITICAL LINES. IT'S NEVER A SIGN OF WEAKNESS, TO SEEK ADVICE FROM THOSE WHO HAVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, AND ADVICE CONTRARY TO WHAT COUNCIL BELIEVES THE BEST ROUTE. IT SHOWS INSTEAD, A GREAT COURAGE, TO EMBRACE INPUT, AND COUNTERPOINT, WITHOUT ANY SACRIFICE OF GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY. THERE IS RESENTMENT HERE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN OUTSIDE CONSULTATION IS SOUGHT, AND PAID FOR WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS, WHEN MUCH OF THE INPUT COULD BE PROVIDED, FREE OF CHARGE, FROM EXPERIENCED HOMETOWNERS, HAVING DAMN IMPRESSIVE CREDENTIALS. WHEN THEY DO COME FORWARD, IT IS OFTEN INTERPRETED AS AN UNWELCOME INTERVENTION. THIS IS UNFORTUNATE, BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING SO POWERFUL AS CITIZEN ACTION, BUILDING UP THEIR OWN TOWN. INPUT, YOU KNOW, DOESN'T MEAN A COUP IS IN PROGRESS. IT'S JUST INPUT. REMEMBER RINGO IN THE ANIMATED FILM, "YELLOW SUBMARINE?" RINGO WAS ADVISED NOT TO PRESS THE BUTTON. MANY TIMES. SO WHAT DID HE DO? PRESSED THE BUTTON! THEN THE FUN BEGAN IN EARNEST. CONSULTING THE CONSTITUENTS, IN REGULAR PUBLIC FORUMS, IS SMART PUBLIC RELATIONS. ALLOW CONSTITUENTS TO BE PART OF GOVERNMENT, INSTEAD OF DISTANT SPECTATORS.
     I DO NOT BELONG TO ANY POLITICAL PARTY. I AM NOT A LOBBYIST. I DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH ANY SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, (ALTHOUGH I HAVE IN THE PAST), AND I HAVE NO AGENDA TO UNSEAT ANY ELECTED OFFICIAL. HONESTLY, OUTSIDE OF ENJOYING MY LIFE IN THIS BURG, AND HAVING A PROSPEROUS BUSINESS EXPERIENCE, THERE IS NO OTHER AGENDA. I DON'T GET UP EACH MORNING, AND KICK AN EFFIGY OF A PARTICULAR MEMBER OF TOWN COUNCIL, AND I DON'T EXPECT THAT TO CHANGE WHEN THE NEW COUNCIL IS SWORN IN. I AM A LIFELONG PACIFIST, AND EVEN IN HOCKEY, I WAS ONLY IN ONE FIGHT, IN TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF PLAY, AND IN THAT INSTANCE, THE OTHER GUY BEAT ME IN THE HEAD, WITH MY OWN HELMET. THOSE WHO KNOW ME WELL, REALIZE I'M MORE INTERESTED IN ANTIQUES AND LOCAL HISTORY, THAN RABBLE ROUSING JUST FOR SPORT. I MAY BE TOO PRINCIPLED, FOR MY OWN GOOD, AND I DO SUFFER FROM THE "SHANE" SYNDROME, WANTING TO FIGHT FOR THE UNDERDOG; WHICH I KNOW A LOT ABOUT AS AN UNDERDOG MYSELF. I DON'T ENTER INTO ISSUE DEBATES WITHOUT THOROUGH PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, AND I NEVER STICK MY OAR INTO SITUATIONS OF WHICH I AM NOT THOROUGHLY UP TO SPEED, AND SERIOUSLY COMMITTED. THE BALA FALLS SITUATION IS A CASE IN POINT. I SUPPORT THE "NO" SIDE BUT I'VE KEPT A PRETTY LOW PROFILE, BECAUSE IT'S A COMPLICATED ISSUE, AND I CAN ONLY RELY ON HISTORY AND ITS PRECEDENTS TO OFFER ADVICE. YET, DESPITE MY MODEST ACTIVISM, AND PROVEN WILLINGNESS TO PITCH IN, AND GIVE ADVICE ON SITUATIONS I'M ABUNDANTLY FAMILIAR, I AM SEEN AS TOO WILD TO HANDLE; TOO CONTROVERSIAL TO BE ANYTHING BUT A DANGEROUS HERETIC, TRYING TO BREAK THE MUNICIPALITY FREE FROM THE UNION, WITH THE REST OF MUSKOKA. IN THIS TOWN, OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS NEED TO DROP THEIR GUARD, AND OPEN THEMSELVES TO THE WORD ON THE STREET.....BY ACTUALLY WALKING DOWN THE STREET. MY ADVICE TO COUNCILLORS? DON'T ASK WHAT "THE WORD ON THE STREET," IS! FIND OUT BY IMMERSION. DON'T JUST ASK FRIENDS AND SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. ASK FOLKS YOU DON'T KNOW, FOR THEIR HONEST APPRAISAL OF HOW THE TOWN IS FARING? OR, IS IT THE CASE, IGNORANCE IS BLISS? IN MOST CASES, I'M JUST THE MESSENGER, AND I DO GET SHOT AT ALOT. THERE ARE HARD FEELINGS OUT THERE, AND THEY NEED TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
     WHEN, AT THIS TIME, I REFER TO COUNCILLORS, AND COUNCIL, IN THE GENERAL SENSE, IT'S NOT MEANT TO SUGGEST, THAT AS CITIZENS, THESE FOLKS AREN'T KIND, CONSIDERATE, SHARING, AND GOOD NEIGHBORS WITH DECENT BUSINESS SENSE. IN THE MEDIA SENSE, HOWEVER, THEY, AS POLITICIANS, SWORN TO GOVERN TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY, ON BEHALF OF THE CITIZENRY, ARE GENERALIZED AS "COUNCIL," FOR GOOD OR NOT SO GOOD. AND I HAVE MADE IT CLEAR IN THIS BLOG, THAT I AM ALWAYS WILLING TO SIT DOWN WITH COUNCILLORS INDIVIDUALLY, TO LET THEM GIVE ME CRAP, AS LONG AS THEIR CRITIQUE OF ME CAN BE QUOTED. I OFFERED TO DO INTERVIEWS, TO PRESENT THEIR (COUNCILLOR'S) SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT, ON A PARTICULAR SUBJECT (THEIR CHOICE), BUT HAD NO TAKERS. AS FOR WHAT THEY MAY PERCEIVE AS MY NEGATIVE APPROACH, TO REVIEWING THEIR HANDIWORK, GOSH, NOW THAT HURTS. I AM NOT A HAND CRAFTED TOOL OF COUNCIL, MEANING, I WILL BE CRITICAL IF REQUIRED. THIS ISN'T TO SUGGEST, FOR ONE MINUTE, THAT TOWN COUNCILS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT, WHICH HAVE IRKED ME SOMEHOW, HAVE BEEN IRRESPONSIBLE AT THEIR TASKS. I DON'T STUDY EVERY COUNCIL DECISION, WHICH THERE ARE MANY IN A FOUR YEAR TERM. THEY ARE ENTITLED TO TRUMPET THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, TO THEIR HEART'S DESIRE, WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT THEY DO. IF THERE ISN'T A COUNTERPOINT, AND AN ACTIVE CRITIC TO THEIR PERFORMANCE, IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE BLIND SUPPORT FOR EVERYTHING THEY GET UP TO; WHICH WOULDN'T SERVE DEMOCRACY'S INTERESTS VERY WELL AT ALL. I DON'T PERSONALLY DISLIKE ANY COUNCILLOR, AND THEY KNOW THAT ANYWAY. I HAVE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION, AND DISAGREE WITH MANY OF THEIR POLICIES, AND STRATEGIES, AND I'M NOT AFRAID OF LETTING IT ALL HANG-OUT. AT LEAST, THEY KNOW THE CUT OF MY JIB, AND WHAT KIND OF CHIDING, OR CRITIQUE THEY'LL GET, IF THEY, FOR INSTANCE, KICK SKOKIE OFF THE MAIN STREET AGAIN. MAYBE THEY THINK ITS SUCKY THAT I MAKE ANY COMMENT AT ALL, BUT I'M KIND OF HOPING THEY SEE INSTEAD, FREE SPEECH BEING EXERCISED, BY SOMEONE ELSE WHO LOVES HIS HOMETOWN.
     THE TOWN HAS SPOKEN. APPARENTLY, THE CITIZENRY, LIKES TOWN COUNCIL PRETTY MUCH THE WAY IT IS! THEY HAD THE CHANCE TO MAKE PROFOUND CHANGES, THIS WEEK, BUT INSTEAD, OPTED FOR STATUS QUO, AND MADE ONLY A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS. I MAY NOT BE AS PLEASED AS THEY ARE, BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE THE NEXT TERM COUNCIL-TABLE, EMBRACED BY AN ENTIRELY NEW GROUP OF POLITICIANS; TO BRING A FRESH APPROACH TO WHAT HAS BECOME, IN MY OPINION, VOID OF GUNG-HO ENTHUSIASM. YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT. WELL, MAYBE YOU CAN GET SOMETHING MORE THAN NOTHING. I THINK EVERYONE CAN CHANGE, EVEN ME, SO THE HOPE FOR A MORE INCLUSIVE, TRANSPARENT COUNCIL, WILLING TO OUTREACH FROM ITS COMFORT ZONE, IS AT THE VERY LEAST, A STRONG POTENTIAL. WOULDN'T THAT BE NICE? I'M NOT REFERRING TO INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PHOTO OPS FOR THE LOCAL MEDIA. I'M WRITING ABOUT AN "OUTREACH," THAT INVOLVES STEPPING AWAY FROM TOWN HALL, AND VISITING THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, FOR EXAMPLE, TO COLLECT THEIR OWN INTEL, VERSUS HAVING IT HANDED TO THEM FROM SURVEY SHEETS. YOU CAN'T GOVERN THIS COMMUNITY, WITHOUT A MORE INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE, OF THE DAY TO DAY TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS, OF THE CITIZENRY. HOW MANY CONSTITUENTS NEED ASSISTANCE FROM THE SALVATION ARMY FOOD BANK? HOW MANY ARE TOO PROUD, TO ASK FOR ASSISTANCE, WHILE SUFFERING IN SILENCE? WHY DO WE NEED A FOOD BANK IN THIS TOWN? HOW MANY COUNCILLORS HAVE TALKED TO THE SALVATION ARMY FOLKS WHO RUN THE FOOD BANK, ABOUT THEIR GROWING DEMANDS FOR PROVISIONS, FROM AN INCREASING CLIENT LIST? THESE ARE OUR CONSTITUENTS. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO NEED LOCAL GOVERNMENT, TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR WELL BEING; BECAUSE FRANKLY, MANY OF THEM CAN'T DO IT THEMSELVES. AND THERE ARE LOTS OF CRACKS IN SOCIAL SERVICE PROVISIONS. I HAVE SEEN MANY COUNCIL TERMS COME AND GO, SINCE ARRIVING IN THIS TOWN, AND I'VE YET TO FEEL COMFORTABLE, COUNCILLORS HAVE TRULY UNDERSTOOD ALL THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES, FOR THE WELL BEING OF THE COMMUNITY. IF IT WAS SHOWING UP FOR GRIP AND GRIN PHOTOS, AND FOR FUN AND EXTRAVAGANT GALAS, THEY'D GET TOP MARKS. AS FOR HAVING WHAT SHOULD BE, A KEEN INTEREST, TO MEET WITH FOOD BANK REPRESENTATIVES, TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT LOCAL POVERTY, ME THINKS IT HAS BEEN PRETTY THIN THUS FAR. NOT ALL CONSTITUENTS OWN PROPERTY OR AREA BUSINESSES. A LOT OF CONSTITUENTS ARE UNEMPLOYED WITH NO GOOD PROSPECTS, AND FORCED TO REGISTER AT THE FOOD BANK, IN ORDER TO SURVIVE.
     DO WE HAVE SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN THIS TOWN? WE ARE LIKE ALL VILLAGES, TOWNS AND CITIES. YES WE HAVE PROBLEMS, AND AT TIMES, THEY TRANSLATE INTO CRIME AND VANDALISM, AND PERPETUATE DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTIONS, THAT DO VERY MUCH AFFECT THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL CITIZENS. COUNCILLORS CAN REMAIN ALOOF ON THIS, AND CLAIM THAT THEIR ELECTED POSITIONS ARE ONLY A PART-TIME COMMITMENT. THEY'RE WRONG ABOUT THIS OF COURSE. IT IS A 24-7 ARRANGEMENT THEY'VE AGREED TO ACCEPT, WHEN THEY TAKE THE OAK OF OFFICE. IN THE CASE OF A COMMUNITY-WIDE CATASTROPHE, THEY WILL FIND THIS OUT. I DON'T WANT THEM TO BE SURPRISED ABOUT THIS, SO THEY MIGHT WANT TO LOOK UP THE DETAILS OF THE MISSISSAUGA RAIL DISASTER, IN THE LATE 1970'S, AND FIND OUT JUST HOW MUCH IN CHARGE, THEN MAYOR, HAZEL MCCALLION, WAS, IN HANDLING THE LARGEST EVACUATION, I BELIEVE, IN CANADIAN HISTORY. OR DO COUNCILLORS HERE FEEL THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE SUCH AN EVENT IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHERE, JUST IN CASE THEY HADN'T NOTICED, THE RAIL LINES TRAVEL THROUGH THE CENTRE OF TOWN, AND FOR CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE; INCLUDING A PASS-BY OF THE COMMUNITY CENTRE AND ARENA, WHERE LARGE CROWDS COULD BE GATHERED AT THE TIME OF DISASTROUS DERAILMENT. IF COUNCILLORS WEREN'T AWARE OF ALL THE IMPLICATIONS OF REPRESENTING OUR TOWN, THEY SHOULD RESIGN BEFORE TAKING THE OATH OF OFFICE, LATER THIS AUTUMN. IT'S GOING TO BE A TOUGH TERM WITH MANY OBSTACLES. I DON'T THINK THIS IS A TERM FOR THE WEAK OF SPIRIT. BUT, EMBRACED WITH ENTHUSIASM, AND COMMUNITY PRIDE, IT CAN BE A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE; ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS IN A MOST POSITIVE WAY.

     I KNOW LOTS OF KEEN CITIZENS IN THIS MUNICIPALITY, OF SOUTH MUSKOKA, WHO ARE PROUD DESCENDANTS OF PIONEER FAMILIES. I KNOW CITIZENS, WHO HAVE A PASSION FOR THIS TOWN, THAT HAS BEEN FORGED THROUGH THE CENTURIES, NOT JUST THE DECADES, OR A FEW YEARS OF RESIDENCY. I ALSO KNOW THERE ARE THOSE WHO, DESPITE HAVING HAD A SHORT RELATIONSHIP WITH GRAVENHURST, HAVE ENORMOUS PRIDE IN BEING PART OF AN HISTORIC COMMUNITY; ONE THAT BECAME THE GATEWAY TO THE BIG BOOM OF THE PIONEERING PERIOD OF MUSKOKA, BEGINNING IN THE LATE 1850'S. I KNOW MANY CONSTITUENTS WHO CAST THEIR VOTES, FOR MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, WITH THAT SAME PRIDE, HOPEFUL THEIR VOTE, BASED ON THEIR VALUES, WILL HAVE AN IMPACT IN THE WAY WE ARE GOVERNED IN THE FUTURE. THEY HOPE THEY WILL BE INCLUDED BY THIS GOVERNMENT, IN SPIRIT, BUT HAVE TO ADMIT, IT'S UNLIKELY THEY WILL EITHER BE ASKED TO ATTEND A COUNCIL MEETING, TO THROW OUT A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR THINGS THAT COULD BE DONE BETTER, OR GIVEN MORE THAN A FEW MOMENTS OF MICROPHONE TIME, AT A PUBLIC MEETING, WHICH ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. YET THEY CLING TO THE HOPE, THEY HAVE VOTED-IN THE RIGHT PEOPLE, TO HELP PRESERVE HOME TOWN VALUES. THEY SOLDIER-ON IN THIS COMMUNITY, WORKING, VOLUNTEERING, AND BEING GENEROUS, THOUGHTFUL NEIGHBORS, DESPITE WHAT MAY DISILLUSION THEM; QUIETLY DISCONTENT ABOUT THE WAY TOWN COUNCIL HAS VEILED ITSELF, AS IF NOT INTERESTED IN UNSOLICITED SCRUTINY FROM CONSTITUENTS. THEY SEE THEIR PLACE IN THE GRAND SCHEME, OF COMMUNITY WELL BEING, AS IRRELEVANT, ONLY A FEW DAYS AFTER A NEW COUNCIL IS SWORN-IN. THEY FEEL UNWELCOME PARTICIPANTS, IN CIVIC AFFAIRS, AND VOICELESS, TO STOP PROFOUND CHANGES OF DIRECTION, DESIRED BY THE FEW! MOVING FURTHER AWAY FROM KNOWN TRADITION. THEY FEAR THESE SHIFTS WILL COMPROMISE THE CHARACTER AND HERITAGE-LEGACY OF THEIR TOWN; THE ONE THEY CHOSE ABOVE ALL OTHERS, TO DWELL-IN AND RAISE FAMILIES. THE TRUE LEGACY OF MODERN TIMES, ROOTING HERE, "IN THE NOW" FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FUTURE. BUT WHAT IS THEIR ABILITY TO SHOW THEIR ANGST? WHAT IS THEIR CAPABILITY TO WORK TOWARD REFORM? MUST WE ALL JOIN ACTIVIST GROUPS, TO FIGHT TOWN HALL ON RESPECTIVE ISSUES? WELL, THAT IS THE MODERN WAY, IT SEEMS. BUT THESE QUIET, UNASSUMING RESIDENTS, DON'T ASK FOR MUCH, AND DON'T OFFER TO CARRY PLACARDS TO TOWN HALL TO FIGHT FOR RECOGNITION, FOR LOCAL ISSUES THEY FEEL IMPORTANT. THE QUIET MAJORITY WOULD RATHER NOT GET INTO POLITICS. THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN CAUSING A STIR, OR GOING AGAINST WHAT THEY FEEL IS THE MODERNIST TIDE, OR RULE OF THE MAJORITY, OF WHAT THE CONTEMPORARIES SEE AS THE FUTURE OF GRAVENHURST. STILL, THEY NEVER GIVE UP ON THEIR TOWN, AND CONTRIBUTING IN THEIR OWN WAY, TO MAKING IT RESILIENT AND DYNAMIC, EVEN IF IT IS, BY DEFINITION, THE OLD FASHIONED WAY OF THINKING ABOUT ONE'S HOME COMMUNITY. WE WOULD BE A HOLLOW TOWN WITHOUT THEM, AND THEIR EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN OUR OWN SENSE OF BELONGING, WHICH MAY BE AS SIMPLE AS TENDING A NEIGHBORHOOD GARDEN, ON THEIR OWN DIME, LIKE I WITNESSED EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON, AND EXTENDING A HAND OF GREETING, WHILE WALKING THE FAMILY DOG. WE STILL HAVE THOSE CHARACTERISTIC FAMILY VALUES, AND GOOD NEIGHBOR ATTRIBUTES, DESPITE THE INTERACTION OF POLITICS AND LOBBYING FOR PERSONAL AGENDAS; THE STUFF THAT CLOUDS THE ATMOSPHERE WITH POLITICAL APPREHENSION; THE SPARK OF QUIET REVOLUTION WHEN SOONER OR LATER, EVEN THE QUIETEST, GENTLEST CITIZEN, WILL HAVE TO REAR-UP AND DEMAND TO BE HEARD. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS STARK AND UNSETTLING TO THE GOOD OF COMMONPLACE. WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO, IS INTUITION; MEANING SIMPLY, THE GENUINE INTEREST, FOR COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES TO OUTREACH INTO THE COMMUNITY, BEYOND THE TYPICAL PUBLIC RELATIONS FORAYS, AND PHOTO OPS, THAT DO LITTLE ANYWAY, AS HEARTFELT OCCASIONS; AND JUST FOR THE HECK OF IT, WINDING-UP, MAKING SOME UNANNOUNCED VISITS, TO SEE FOR THEMSELVES, HOW WE OPERATE DAY TO DAY AS WORKER BEES.
     THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY CONSTITUENTS IN GRAVENHURST, WHO COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT EXERCISING THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE. THIS WAS CLEAR WHEN THE NUMBERS WERE PUBLISHED LAST EVENING. WHILE ELECTED COUNCILLORS UNDOUBTEDLY LOOKED IN THE MIRROR, THIS MORNING, TOAST CRUMBS ON THEIR CHINS, AND THOUGHT THEMSELVES AT A ZENITH OF POPULARITY...., THE ANALYST ONLY NEEDS TO LOOK AT THE VOTES CAST, TO KNOW, THAT EITHER THERE WAS A PROTEST, OF THOSE WHO MINDFULLY, AND ON PRINCIPLE, DECIDED NOT TO VOTE, OR JUST THE SPREADING GENERAL MUNICIPAL MALAISE, OF THOSE WHO NEVER EVEN OPENED THEIR BALLOTS, BEFORE TOSSING THEM IN THE RECYCLING BIN. A GOOD PORTION OF THE DIVIDED VOTE FOR MAYOR, IS MOST DEFINITELY A SIGN OF PROTEST, BECAUSE THE LOSING CANDIDATE DIDN'T SPEND MUCH, IF ANYTHING, ON ELECTION ADVERTISING; AND I DON'T REMEMBER SEEING A SINGLE SIGN OR NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENT FOR HIS CAMPAIGN. HEY, I'M OKAY WITH FEWER SIGNS. BUT NOT PUTTING-FORTH A YEOMAN'S EFFORT, TO WIN THE MAYOR'S SEAT, THE CHALLENGER COULD REALLY ONLY GET, AS A MAXIMUM, JUST SHY OF A THOUSAND VOTES, TO BE CONSIDERED A PEAK PERFORMANCE ON A BUDGET. A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE VOTES, IN THIS RACE, WERE CLEARLY CAST BY FOLKS OPPOSING STATUS QUO. THE CHALLENGER HAD A TINY WEE CHANCE, ABOUT A THOUSAND TO ONE, OF COMING WITHIN A THOUSAND VOTES OF THE INCUMBENT MAYOR. WE WERE WATCHING HOWEVER, JUST HOW MANY VOTES WERE CAST FOR THE CHALLENGER, AND IT WAS KIND OF REMARKABLE. A THIRD CANDIDATE FOR THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, WOULD HAVE TURNED THIS CONTEST INTO AN EXCITING HORSE RACE, IN THE ELECTION SENSE; SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER FOR THE WHOLE TOWN. COMPETITION FOR COUNCIL JOBS GENERALLY, WAS UNFORTUNATELY VERY LOW. THE CAMPAIGN WAS LISTLESS FROM THE BEGINNING. THE INCUMBENT MAYOR'S OPPONENT, COULDN'T HAVE DONE MUCH BETTER, UNLESS HE HAD A THOUSAND MORE FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. I THINK THE MAYOR ELECT SHOULD SEE THIS AS A CLEAR SIGN, THERE IS OPPOSITION TO TOWN POLICIES AND LEADERSHIP. IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO BRING ABOUT WHOLESALE CHANGE, BUT IT WAS CLEAR, SOMETHING IS BREWING IN POCKETS OF THIS TOWN, AND COULD BECOME A THORN IN COUNCIL'S SIDE, IF THEY CONTINUE TO RUN THE TOWN AS THEIR FIEFDOM.
     IT IS MY EXPERIENCE, THAT COUNCILLORS IN THIS TOWN, PREFER TO TREAT THEIR CRITICS AS UNWORTHY OF ATTENTION. ANNOYANCES. THE PROVERBIAL FLY IN THE OINTMENT. THEY WANT POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, AND TO KEEP COMPANY WITH THE ENABLERS, OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY, WHO BOLSTER THEM WITH THE AFFIRMATION THEY CRAVE. THEY WOULD BE WISE, THIS TERM OF OFFICE, TO PAY A HIGHER REGARD, TO THE FACT CRITICS OFTEN TELL THE TRUTH. CRITICS ARE GOOD, IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SENSE, AND COUNTERPOINT IS ALWAYS WORTH CONSIDERING, NO MATTER HOW MOOT IT IS PERCEIVED TO BE, AS PART OF COUNCIL BUSINESS. THE SHUNNING OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO OFFER COUNTERPOINT, AND CRITICISM, AND DON'T AGREE WITH COUNCIL ALL THE TIME, IS RIDICULOUS, AND UNDERMINES THE SUCCESS THE MUNICIPALITY CAN ACHIEVE DURING THE TERM. PAYING ATTENTION TO THE GROWTH OF OPPOSITION IS NOT ONLY SMART, BUT NECESSARY. IF COUNCIL HAD REALLY BEEN PAYING ATTENTION, AND AWARE OF PUBLIC SENTIMENT, LAST TERM, THEY WOULD HAVE SAVED THEMSELVES UNTOLD ANXIETY, DEALING WITH SPECIFIC SPEARS OF OPPOSITION. THE TOWN HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HOLD THE BIA BACK, FROM SEEKING THE HUGE EXPANSION OF THE BUSINESS AREA, AND TO MAKE SURE OPPOSITION WAS CLEARLY IDENTIFIED, WITH GATHERED INTEL, WELL BEFORE IT CAME TO A VOTE, AND THE RESULTING DEFEAT. IT REQUIRED THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO MUSTER, AND IT DID. I THINK THIS WAS A GREAT SHOW OF WHAT CAN BE DONE, TO FORCE RECKONING FROM THOSE WHO GOVERN. BUT THE FACT THAT IT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE, DEMONSTRATES COUNCIL WAS EITHER WEAK, IN DEALING WITH THE BIA, OR WILLING FOR THE HELL OF IT, TO PARTICIPATE IN A PLAN THAT WAS DESTINED TO FAIL FROM THE GET-GO. AND THEN STAND BACK, AND LET THE BIA TAKE THE HEAT, AS AN AFTERMATH. IT IS MY OPINION, THAT COUNCIL DIDN'T WANT TO BE SEEN AS THE PROMOTERS OF THIS EXPANSION PLAN. BUT FORGIVE ME, FOR HAVING THE SUSPICION, THAT THEY WERE ENABLERS NONE THE LESS, TO HAVE ALLOWED IT TO GET AS FAR AS IT DID. ACTIVISM IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY WAS ALIVE AND WELL, SIX MONTHS IN ADVANCE OF THE VOTE, AND THOSE COUNCILLORS PAYING ATTENTION, SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT IT WOULD BE A PUBLIC RELATIONS FAILURE, IF NOT A DISASTER. COUNCIL HAD AN INFLUENTIAL GOVERNANCE ROLE TO PLAY WITH THE BIA, AND IT WASN'T PLAYING HARDBALL THE WAY IT SHOULD HAVE, TO LOOK AFTER ALL THE BUSINESS FOLKS AND PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE SUBJECT AREA. THEY DIDN'T NEED AN ACTUAL RECORDED VOTE. IT WAS CLEAR A MONTH BEFORE, THERE WAS NO WAY IT WAS GOING TO PASS. THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE, WHICH HAS OCCURRED, IS THAT A LOT OF THE SAME FOLKS, WHO VOTED AGAINST THE EXPANSION, NOW HAVE ONE EYE FOCUSED ON COUNCIL'S AGENDA, ON A HUNCH, WATCHING FOR THE VERY NEXT MOVE THAT MIGHT AFFECT THEIR INDEPENDENT STATUS.
     THE NEW VERSION OF THE FORMER COUNCIL, ELECTED IN MONDAY'S VOTE, HAS A CHANCE TO IMPRESS US. MAYBE THEY SHOULD CARE ABOUT IMPRESSING US. WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE KIND OF LEADERSHIP, THAT IS WILLING TO EMBRACE ALL OF US, THE CRITICS INCLUDED, TO HELP MAKE THIS A BETTER TOWN. BEING ELECTED TO COUNCIL IS A SHOW OF CONSTITUENT DESIRES. DEMOCRACY HAS RUNG THE TOWN BELL. BUT WE ARE NOT ABOUT TO GIVE UP ON OUR HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS, TO IMPROVE OUR HOME TOWN, AND I BELIEVE, IT IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR INCLUSION; VERSUS THE STANDARD OF EXCLUSION MANY KNOW, WHEN FINDING THEMSELVES ON THE OPPOSITION SIDE OF TOWN HALL. AN ASTUTE TOWN COUNCIL, AND PROACTIVE COUNCILLORS, WOULD BE WELL ADVISED TO ADDRESS CITIZEN CONCERNS, BEFORE THERE IS A MORE POWERFUL UNDERTOW OF DISDAIN. IT'S TIME TO TRULY "MOVE FORWARD," ALTHOUGH I DESPISE THAT AS POLITICAL-SPEAK, TO BRING ALL SIDES TOGETHER, AND TRULY ENHANCE INTUITIVE PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE. I CAN BE A HEAVY CRITIC, WITH FAST FINGERS, BUT IT WILL NEVER BE SAID, I WASN'T, WITH OUR ENTIRE FAMILY, WILLING TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY IN ALL WAYS POSSIBLE. THERE ARE MANY MORE CITIZENS, WHO FEEL ON THEY ARE ON THE "OUTS" WITH THEIR HOMETOWN, AND I THINK THIS, IN THE CONTEMPORARY SENSE, IS A TERRIBLE LOSS OF COMMUNITY SPIRIT. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY. IT WILL BE, HOWEVER, PRECISELY THIS WAY, IF STATUS QUO AT TOWN HALL REMAINS THE CHARACTERISTIC FORM OF GOVERNANCE; THAT ONLY FEEDS ON MUTUAL ADMIRATION, AND NOT ON THE CONSTRUCTIVE REALITIES OF DISSENT. WILL OUR LOCAL GOVERNANCE BE WILLING TO ADDRESS OPPOSITION? IS IT POSSIBLE THEY WILL WANT TO MEET THE NAYSAYERS, WITH AS MUCH ENTHUSIASM, AS THEIR KNOWN AFFECTION FOR ENDORSEMENT AND UNFALTERING ACCEPTANCE.
     WE'LL SEE!

1991 Watercolour of the main street of Gravenhurst by artist Frank Johnston

Our oldest hand written recipe book circa 1877 found in Orillia

The spring melt is still flooding in the bog. (Rob Currie photo)

FRANK JOHNSTON'S 1991 STREETSCAPE OF GRAVENHURST, A MOST UNIQUE IMPRESSION OF HIS HOMETOWN

WHAT WE ARE MISSING IN THIS TOWN, IS THE PUBLIC EXHIBITION OF THIS EXCEPTIONAL ARTIST'S WORK

     THE ARTIST AS HISTORIAN. MAYBE FRANK JOHNSTON WASN'T AN HISTORIAN BY PROFESSION, IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE, BUT HIS ART WORK WAS PROOF, HE KNEW THE IMPORTANCE OF CAPTURING HERITAGE FOR POSTERITY; SCENES, AND HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE, BEFORE IT BECAME A DIMINISHED INTEREST. HIS BRUSH STROKES, FOR EXAMPLE, IF COMPARED TO MY GRANDIOSE EXPLANATIONS, WERE EFFICIENT, OF SENSIBLE PROPORTION, AND ALTOGETHER EFFECTIVE, TO GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS; THAT THIS WAS A NICE PLACE TO VISIT, AND A HELL OF A PLACE TO LIVE. AT LEAST THAT'S HOW I VIEW THE FRANK JOHNSTON PRINT, RE-PUBLISHED ABOVE. THE BONUS, IS THAT IT WAS PAINTED WITH AN INTIMATE, FRIENDLY GESTURE, MAKING IT CLEAR TO THE VOYEUR, THE ARTIST FOUND THIS AN AGREEABLE TOWN FROM WHICH TO WORK. IT WAS JUST ONE OF HUNDREDS OF ART PANELS HE WORKED ON, DEPICTING LOCAL AND REGIONAL LANDMARKS, AND FAMILIAR MAIN STREETS. LATER IN THIS SHORT SERIES OF BLOGS, I WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO SOME OF HIS WATERCOLOUR LANDSCAPES, WHICH ARE EQUALLY FAMILIAR, AS PLACES MOST OF US CAN IDENTIFY, BUT UNIQUE IN HIS IMPRESSIONS; OF RIVERS AND WATERFALLS YOU CAN ALMOST HEAR, IF YOU WERE TO LISTEN CAREFULLY, OR FEEL THE MIST FROM THE CRASH OF THE CATARACT. 

     IT USED TO BE, THAT TO SEE AND ENJOY, THE HERITAGE WATERCOLORS PAINTED BY GRAVENHURST ARTIST, FRANK JOHNSTON, YOU JUST HAD TO OPEN THE DOOR OF THE FORMER SLOANS RESTAURANT, ON MUSKOKA ROAD. AS I'VE NOTED ABOUT A HUNDRED TIMES BEFORE, THE RESTAURANT WAS AS MUCH, AT TIMES, TO SOME OF THE PATRONS, A GALLERY FOR JOHNSTON'S ART WORK, BEING ALL GRAVENHURST AND MUSKOKA DEPICTIONS. THE FOOD WAS GREAT AND ESPECIALLY THE BLUEBERRY PIE, BUT WHAT WAS ESPECIALLY COMPELLING, WERE THOSE MASSIVE WATERCOLORS OF TRAINS AND STEAMING BOATS, OF THE NAVIGATION COMPANY; STOPPED FOR PASSENGER EXCHANGES, AT THE WHARF ON MUSKOKA BAY. THE 1990'S ERA PRINT, OF AN ORIGINAL FRANK JOHNSTON WATERCOLOR, WAS OFFERED TO ME, FOR DISPLAY, BY THE JOHNSTON FAMILY RECENTLY, AND NEEDLESS TO SAY, I'M TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE. THIS IMAGE SHOULD BE ON PUBLIC DISPLAY IN THIS TOWN. UNFORTUNATELY, THE MAJOR ART PIECES WERE SOLD OFF SOME YEARS BACK, WHEN SLOANS, AS WE KNEW IT, WAS CLOSED. WE LOST A LOT OF HERITAGE WITH THOSE PAINTINGS. AND TO A DEGREE, THE CONFIDENCE FRANK JOHNSTON HAD WITH HIS FORMER HOMETOWN. IT WAS UNDERSTOOD BY THE ARTIST, THAT TOWN HALL WOULD GET THE PAINTINGS, IF THERE WAS EVER AN END TO SLOAN'S RESTAURANT.

     IT WAS ONCE NOTED, BY GROUP OF SEVEN ARTIST, A.J. CASSON, THAT CONTEMPORARY MUSKOKA (PROBABLY IN THE 1950'S), NO LONGER HAD INTERESTING ARCHITECTURE TO PORTRAY IN HIS ART. HE HAD PAINTED HERE PREVIOUSLY, AS DID OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP OF SEVEN, PARTICULARLY IN THE GEORGIAN BAY REGION OF THE DISTRICT. FRANK JOHNSTON, (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH FRANZ JOHNSTON, OF THE GROUP OF SEVEN), FOUND THE EXACT OPPOSITE, EVEN WELL INTO THE 1990'S, AS THE DEPICTION ABOVE FULLY ILLUSTRATES. BEYOND THE FAMILIAR POST OFFICE BUILDING, AND CLOCK TOWER, YOU CAN SEE THE ADVERTISING SIGN, OF THE FORMER "ECONOMY STORE," AND I REMEMBER IT WELL. THE ORIGINAL PAINTING DATED 1991, REMINDS ME OF OUR FIRST YEARS AS NEW RESIDENTS TO TOWN, HAVING ARRIVED HERE LATE IN 1989.

    GRAVENHURST IS WHERE JOHNSTON HAD HIS STUDIO, AND PRINTING PRESS, IN A SHADED, HISTORIC, HOME ON, SITUATED QUAINTLY, NEATLY, WELL BACK FROM THE ROAD, ON QUIET, LOW TRAFFIC, HUGHSON STREET. WHILE FRANK JOHNSTON WAS A COMMERCIAL ARTIST, WHO MADE MONEY SELLING HIS PRINTS, EVEN ON GREETING CARDS, HE WOULD NEVER HAVE BOTHERED PAINTING SOMETHING HE DIDN'T FIND OF HISTORICAL MERIT, AND ARCHITECTURAL INTRIGUE. IN THE STREETSCAPE, THERE IS A SOCIAL, CULTURAL BUSINESS GOING ON, AND LITTLE DOUBT IS LEFT, THAT THIS RURAL COMMUNITY IS BUSTLING. HIS COLOURFUL IMPRESSION OF THE TOWN, IS BOTH POSITIVE, AND PROMOTIONAL; AND TO CAPTURE SUCH A LIFE FORCE WITHIN, HE HAS MADE A CLEAR STATEMENT, THAT ALTHOUGH GRAVENHURST ISN'T A LARGE COMMUNITY, IT IS A WARM, COMFORTABLE, "BEDFORD FALLS," KIND OF PLACE, (FROM THE MOVIE "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE," THAT EMBRACES ALL ITS SOCIAL-CULTURAL HERITAGE, BUT SENSIBLY IN THE CONTEMPORARY SENSE. THIS SCENE WOULD HAVE MADE A GREAT COVER FOR A BOOK ABOUT GRAVENHURST. MAYBE ONE DAY.

    I WAS CHASED OUT OF OUR MUSKOKA ROAD SHOP TODAY, BECAUSE OF A LARGE RECORDING SESSION, GOING ON IN THE MUSIC STUDIO. QUITE A TROOP OF STUDENTS WERE COMING IN, TO RECORD UPWARDS OF THREE SONGS, AND THERE WASN'T AN INCH TO SPARE. AS I TAKE UP MANY INCHES OF FLOOR SPACE, IT WAS JUST EASIER TO RETREAT BACK TO BIRCH HOLLOW, AND LET THE CREATIVE ARTS CARRY ON, UNENCUMBERED. THE ONLY THING TO DISTRACT ME NOW, ARE THE SUCCESSION OF HUNGRY BIRDS LANDING AT THE FEEDER, AND THE OCCASIONAL SQUABBLE WITH OUR RESIDENT SQUIRRELS. AS I'VE NOTED PREVIOUSLY, MY ABILITY TO CONCENTRATE IS DECLINING, AS QUICKLY AS MY ABILITY TO WRITE, WHEN THERE IS ANY HUBBUB GOING ON WHATSOEVER. TO COPE WITH THE BUSY NATURE OF THE SHOP AND MUSIC STUDIO, THESE DAYS, (WHICH I'M NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT IN THE BUSINESS SENSE), I OFTEN INCORPORATE WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE TIME; FOR EXAMPLE, A COUPLE OF MUSICIANS INVADING THE ROOM, TRYING OUT SOME OF THE STUDIO EQUIPMENT. I LIKE THIS KIND OF ACTUALITY, BUT I STILL FIND IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO WRITE DURING THE VISIT. I MAKE HANDWRITTEN NOTES INSTEAD, AND THEN TYPE THEM INTO THE BLOG WHEN SOLITUDE HAS RETURNED. TODAY, THERE WAS NO CHANCE OF WORKING AMIDST THE BUSTLE OF A LARGE, YOUTHFUL, ENTHUSIASTIC GROUP, EXCITED ABOUT PUTTING THEIR SOUNDS ONTO A CD. IT WAS NEAT BUT I FEEL DREADFULLY OUT OF PLACE IN CROWDS THESE DAYS. AT ONE TIME, IT WAS THE LIFE FORCE OF JUST SUCH A CROWD, THAT INSPIRED ME TO WRITE. NOW I FEEL OVERWHELMED, IF THERE ARE MORE THAN FOUR PEOPLE IN THE SAME ROOM WITH ME; AND SUZANNE QUIPS THAT IT'S ON ACCOUNT OF MY OLD AGE. I SHOULD PROBABLY ARGUE WITH HER, AS SHE IS ONE YEAR OLDER, BUT HONESTLY, I THINK SHE'S MORE RIGHT THAN WRONG. GADS, THE OLD NEWSPAPER OFFICE AT THE HERALD-GAZETTE, WAS ALWAYS FULL OF STAFFERS, AND OTHER ASSORTED GUESTS, AND PASSERSBY. IN FACT, WHERE I USED TO WRITE, WAS LIKE A BIG HALLWAY, TO OFFICES AT THE REAR OF THE BUILDING. I COULDN'T AFFORD TO BE DISTRACTED, ESPECIALLY WHEN PRODUCTION STAFF KEPT COMING UP TO OUR OFFICE, ON PRESS DAYS, DEMANDING WE SPEED UP OUR COPY OUT-PUT. I GUESS MORE THAN AGE, IT'S THE FACT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO WRITE IN QUIET ROOM HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW, FOR A LOT OF YEARS NOW, AND HAVE FORGOTTEN HOW I COPED WITH MOB-RULE ONCE UPON A TIME.

     TO WRITE THIS BLOG, I FIRST SET OUT FRANK JOHNSTON'S PRINT, ON A SOFA ACROSS FROM ME, SO I COULD OCCASIONALLY GLANCE AT IT, AS THE STORY PROGRESSED. I HAD TO MOVE THREE TIMES, BECAUSE OF STUDENT TOURS, CIRCULATING TO EVERY PART OF THE BUILDING. AND AGAIN, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A PARAGRAPH, (WHICH SENDS ME BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD) I HAD TO RESCUE THE ART WORK, WHEN A GROUP SUDDENLY COMPROMISED THE LAST BIT OF OPEN SPACE IN THE BUILDING; AND THEN ANOTHER, AND ANOTHER. I THINK, KNOWING FRANK'S SENSE OF HUMOR (HE ONCE DID MY PORTRAIT FOR A COLUMN-HEAD, WHEN I WROTE FOR MUSKOKA TODAY), HE WOULD HAVE OFFERED A DEEP, RASPY CHUCKLE, THAT HIS ART WORK HAD BEEN AT THE CENTRE OF SUCH VIBRANT, YOUTHFUL ACTIVITY. SO NOT BEING ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE WHOLE BLOG, WITH HIS ART WORK CLEARLY SITUATED FOR EASY VIEWING, I FINALLY PACKED IT BACK UP, IN PROTECTIVE TISSUE, AND DECIDED TO FINISH THE REST, SITTING ON THE VERANDAH HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW; WHERE SOME KNOB HAS NOW FIRED UP AN ATOMIC-STRENGTH LEAF BLOWER, SUCH THAT I CAN NO LONG HEAR THE CHEERFUL CHIRPING OF THE BIRDS, AND A SQUIRREL COULD BE CHATTERING AT ME, FROM THE RAILING RIGHT IN FRONT, AND I'D HAVE TO READ HIS LIPS, TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS....PRESUMABLY WITH THE GREEDY BIRDS HOGGING THE FEEDER SEEDS. WELL, AT LEAST THERE ARE NO DYNAMITE BLASTS THIS AFTERNOON, OF WHICH OCCUR RATHER FREELY AT JOB SITES, IN THIS AREA OF TOWN; AND THE CHAP WITH THE DIRT BIKE HAS NOW GOOSED HIS WAY TO A HIGHER STREET, SUCH THAT I BENEFIT FROM LESSER NOISE THAN A MOMENT EARLIER. YET, WHEN I LOOK AT FRANK'S MAIN STREET PROFILE, IT'S THE REMARKABLE TALENT OF THIS ARTIST, THAT I CAN HEAR THE SOUNDS OF OUR TOWN, WITHOUT THERE BEING ANY SOUND AT ALL. THIS IS WHAT I FEEL, IS THE TRUE TALENT OF THIS WELL RESPECTED CANADIAN ARTIST / PRINT MAKER, WHO USED TO CALL GRAVENHURST HIS HOME TOWN.

    HIS WORK INSPIRES SENSORY PERCEPTION, AND WE FIND OURSELVES IMAGINING ALL FORWARD PROGRESSIONS, SUCH AS THE SOUND OF CITIZEN FOOTFALLS, AND AUTOMOBILE AND TRUCK ENGINES, AIR BRAKES BEING ENGAGED ON BIG TRUCKS, AND THE OCCASIONAL BLASTING HORN, FROM CAR OR TRAIN, IN THE DAILY ACT OF "JUST PASSING BY." IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE STATIC, BUT IT'S NOT. ART, THAT IS! INSTEAD, IT'S FULL OF LIFE AND MECHANIZATION, NATURE AND HISTORY, AND NO FRAME CAN HOLD IT ALL IN!

     FRANK JOHNSTON BELIEVED IN THIS PICTURE. HE WOULDN'T HAVE SELECTED THIS VANTAGE POINT, IF HE COULDN'T CONCEIVE IT AS A PLACE OF CONSIDERABLE BUSTLE; AND PLEASANT AMALGAMATIONS, OF ALL THAT IS INHERENT TO OUR SMALL TOWN. EACH OF HIS PANELS IS AS MUCH AS STORY, AS THEY ARE VISUALLY IMPRESSIVE UPON THE SENSES. JUST BY VIEWING THE ART WORK, YOU GET A HISTORY LESSON, AND A CONTEMPORARY OVERVIEW, MERGING TOGETHER IN ONE SUBTLE MESSAGE; THAT THIS MUST BE A NICE PLACE TO LIVE. LONG BEFORE WE MOVED TO GRAVENHURST, I WAS A FAN OF FRANK JOHNSTON'S ART WORK. SUZANNE AND I USED TO BRING OUR YOUNG SONS FROM BRACEBRIDGE, AT LEAST TWICE A MONTH, TO HAVE A SATURDAY AFTERNOON LUNCH, OF CRISPY FRENCH FRIES AND HAMBURGERS ALL ROUND, IN THE COLORFUL MIDST OF THIS FRANK JOHNSTON GALLERY, AT SLOANS RESTAURANT. MAYBE HIS ART WAS MORE INFLUENTIAL, IN INSPIRING OUR MOVE SOUTH, THAN I PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT, BECAUSE SON OF A GUN, JUST LOOKING AT THIS PAINTING, I CAN HEAR THE ECHO OF THAT WELCOMING VOICE, OF HUGH CLAIRMONT, FROM SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD; POSSIBLY FROM THE FRONT ALCOVE OF SLOANS, CALLING OUT TO ME, TO COME FOR A COFFEE. WE OFTEN MET UP IN THE COZY QUARTERS OF "THE INNER SANCTUM," A SPECIAL ROOM FOR FINE DINING, WHERE HUGH FREQUENTLY HELD COURT. IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT HUGH AND FRANK WERE GOOD FRIENDS, SUCH THAT WHEN HE AND SON MARK, OPENED THE LOCAL PUBLICATION, "MUSKOKA TODAY," HE FELT NO COMPUNCTION WHATSOEVER, ASKING HIS ARTIST FRIEND TO DO SKETCHES OF EACH OF THE COLUMNISTS. MINE INCLUDED.

     WELL, AFTER A QUARTER CENTURY, LIVING IN GRAVENHURST, WE CURRIES ARE JUST AS HAPPY TO BE HERE, AS WHEN YOU COULD STILL HEAR THE LOUD BELLOW OF HUGH CLAIRMONT, AND THE GROWL OF THE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, GRINDING THAT OLD PRINTING PRESS, TO REGALE US ONCE MORE, WITH AN IMAGE CAST DOWN BY HIS CAPABLE HAND; OF THE HOME REGION WE CALL, WITH REVERENCE, GOD'S COUNTRY.

     AT THIS PRECIOUS MOMENT, FEELING I HAVE DONE MY BEST TO REPRESENT THIS BEAUTIFUL ART WORK, BY MR. JOHNSTON, I'D WISH ONLY, HE COULD JOIN ME NOW FOR AN AFTER-WORK LIBATION, IN THE CELEBRATION OF THIS VIEW OF THE BOG, WHERE TWO DEER ARE NOW FEEDING; AND WHERE A PLETHORA OF GOD'S CREATURES, ARE WORKING AWAY, IN THE SLOWLY CHANGING HABITAT OF A COLDER THAN USUAL SPRING. A TINY BIRD FLITS ABOUT THROUGH THE OLD LEAVES, STILL COVERING OVER OUR GARDEN, IN SEARCH OF SEEDS THAT HAVE BEEN PUSHED OVER THE EDGE OF THE FEEDER, BY THE PUSH AND SHOVE OF GRAY AND BLACK SQUIRRELS. A MOURNING DOVE CALLS OUT, AND A CROW ANSWERS. IT IS A PLEASANT SOLITUDE WITH INTERESTING INTERVENTIONS; LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, THE CHIPMUNK, THAT JUST RAN OVER MY SHOE, WITH A PEANUT, STILL IN THE SHELL, PROTRUDING AWKWARDLY FROM ITS MOUTH. SUCH AN AMBITIOUS LITTLE FELLOW.

     THANKS SO MUCH FOR VISITING THIS BLOG TODAY. MORE OF FRANK JOHNSTON'S WATERCOLORS COMING DAILY, FOR THE REST OF THIS WEEK. GLAD YOU COULD BE A PART OF THIS SMALL FRANK JOHNSTON RETROSPECTIVE.